by Paul Myerberg, USA TODAY Sports

by Paul Myerberg, USA TODAY Sports

USC needed a spark. The Trojans got one from a batch of fearless freshmen, who ripped into the team's seniors after another lackluster effort led to, yes, another loss.

What's disappointing is that this spark came after the Trojans had completed the 2012 season â?? in the locker room following USC's 21-7 loss to Georgia Tech in late December's Sun Bowl.

It was that kind of year: USC showed some fight just after the end of the season.

Scott Wolf of the Los Angeles Daily News, quoting sources, said that "about 10 to 15 Trojans players were involved in a locker room altercation" after the Sun Bowl, which handed the Trojans their sixth loss on the season.

(USC began the year No. 1 in the Associated Press news media poll and No. 3 in the USA TODAY Sports coaches poll. The Trojans are the first team in major college football history to start No. 1 in the poll and lose six games. It wasn't a good year.)

Wolf provides some details, though it's still a little hazy:

"The incident started when some freshmen questioned the leadership of the team's seniors and whether they gave 100 percent effort for the Sun Bowl. This led to an argument that eventually escalated according to witnesses."

He quotes one player, who did not wish to be identified: "It was one of the worst things I've seen in a locker room."

Let's step back. USC was No. 1 in late August, as noted. We say this about many things, but in this case, without exaggeration, it was all downhill from there.

Jersey-switching. Deflated footballs. Missed dinners. "Shady" recruiting. This is just since October, and doesn't include USC's lazy and ineffective play on Saturdays.